Set Free (Nyx Ulric Fanfic)
by brightbluesky77
Summary: Nyx Ulric was still haunted by the past and felt his life is aimless. Meeting a mysterious girl, Skye by coincidence, both of their life are about to change. Can Skye heal the deep wound he has and unbuckle the chain of past holding him back? Can Nyx give her the freedom that she yearns for her whole life? A pre-Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV story.
1. Chapter 1 (Nyx)

"Nyx! Nyx! Help mother! NYX!" a familiar voice echoed.

The surrounding was covered with houses inflamed, lifeless bodies on the dirt ground and people screaming everywhere, calling out for their loved ones.

I was standing still, feeling stunt. Seeing the red pool of bloods flowing near my legs, a person crawling near my feet and yet, I couldn't move even an inch. I couldn't even scream out for her. I need to but what am I doing? Move! Say something! Do it!

"SEL-"

"Hey, Nyx! Nyx! Are you listening to me? Dude!" a hand waved in front of me and I snapped out whatever state I was in earlier.

I shifted towards the owner of the hand and looked into the face of my childhood best friend, Libertus. We were sitting on his leather sofa at his place in front of the TV.

"Hey? Are you okay? What's wrong with you? Your face seemed serious."

I took a sip of beer from the bottle and shook my head. "Nah, just thinking of the training today. Man, as much as I hate Luche, he did surprisingly well on his elemental magic."

"I know what you mean but shouldn't you be keeping your head on the game now. We bet lots of money on this match, you know?" he gave me a groan. "Look! Look! The match that we bet on is coming up soon. That Coeurl better win. I bet so much Gil on it."

"What are the chances that Whiskey will lose? It's strong so no worries." I took another sip and put my legs on top of the small rectangle wooden table in front of the TV. "It has not lost any matches since its debut, right?"

"I know but I heard that the group of Spiracorn seems to be quite strong. I think we bet wrongly, man."

"We're fine, Libertus. Have a little faith on Whiskey. As soon as she wins it, I'm going to buy some new clothes and burn the old ones."

"As for me, I'm going to get myself another tattoo." Libertus revealed his right biceps and beamed with pride. "Maybe another arrow, right here."

I smiled. Both of us really do seem to get too into tattoos these days. Right then, the announcer of the game made a broadcast.

"The next match will be the Coeurl against three Spiracorns. Who will win this match? We shall know now! The gates are opened and here they come. Take a look at them."

They showed the Spiracorns first, looking healthy and energetically kicking around. Next, Whiskey enters. We named her that because that she is distinctive from other Coeurls we've seen before. It has twice the number of whiskers that other Coeurls normally have. Looking at her state today, however got me worried. She looked sick.

The voice of the announcer blasted through the TV. "Woah! The Coeurl don't seem healthy today at all. Is it going to be okay? The Spiracorns are all hyped up for the attack."

The Spiracorns moved in on Whiskey while she backed towards the wall. Each of the Spiracorns stood on different side away from Whiskey. She braced herself for an attack and waiting for the chance to counterattack.

The Spiracorn to her right made the first move and Whiskey avoided it swiftly and bit into the Spiracorn's neck deep. That Spiracorn fell to the ground with the neck bleeding. Whiskey did not have the time to rest as the Spiracorn in front of her lunged at her with its horn. Whiskey tried to evade it but received a small cut on its thigh and groaned. She quickly sprang to the other side of the arena.

The crowds' cheers rang across the room through the TV. Even Libertus was on his feet cheering along as well. The announcer said, "Would you look at that? That's one down and the Coeurl is still going strong. Look, it looks like he's getting his special move prep up."

Whiskey took on its famous defense stance to launch Blaster on the opponent. This attack is known to be deadly as it can inflict paralysis on the enemies or cause instant-death.

One of the Spiracorn fell for it as it made its move on Whiskey where Whiskey instantly let out a lightning strike on it. The Spiracorn fell to the ground and it is in a shocked state, trembling.

"It's all down to the last two standing," the announcer stated. "Who will emerge victory? The Coeurl or the Spiracorn? Don't you think the Coeurl seems to have its energy drained?"

It's true. Whiskey is panting now, trying to catch its breath and feels like she used too much energy. The last Spiracorn is wary and did not make any careless move on her. Whiskey and the Spiracorn circled around the arena, gazing at each other and waiting for the right time to take an action.

That's when it happened. The Spiracorn accidentally tripped over one of its subordinates. It could have easily regained itself that it shouldn't have impact much on its current condition.

However, Whiskey is so agile that she saw it as an opportunity and leaped at the Spiracorn. She clawed at the Spiracorn's back. It roared in pain while Whiskey uses its tail and sweeped the Spiracorn's legs which made it loses its balance and fell to the floor.

Before it can get up, Whiskey's whiskers enclosed Spiracorn and send crackling electric to the Spiracorn's body that made it unconscious. It was over. Whiskey won. People got up from their seat and cheered. Whisker sank to the ground and catching its breath.

The announcer's voice rang over the arena. "The Coeurl won! Up against the three Spiracorn and it seemed unhealthy, but it managed to won without getting inflicted with high damages! Let's give a big clap to the Coeurl and to the people that have won their bet."

There were employees that came in to get the monsters out of the battlefield. Whiskey stood up and walked itself out of the arena. The Spiracorns are still alive but unconscious. The one that's badly injured was the first Spiracorn that was bleeding.

"We won! We won! Whiskey won too!" Libertus was jumping up and down excitedly. I think he was dancing at one point.

I stood up and gave him a high five which he reciprocates, a little too hard.

"Good work, Whiskey," I said under my breath and couldn't help but smile while I look at the TV.

"So that was the last match. This is live from Altissia. Thank you for staying tune. See you all next time," the announcer said.

Libertus reached for the remote control and turned the TV off. "Well, so that's it. I'm going to make a call to Pelna to get our earnings. Say hello to my new tattoo!" His laughter echoed across the room.

"Woah! You're getting way too excited, big guy. This isn't the first time she won." I took a long sip of the beer, stood up and placed the empty bottle on the table. "It's getting late. I should leave now."

"Don't you want to hear how much we have won before you leave?" Libertus asked eagerly while fumbling on the phone dialer, obviously drunk.

"Nah, just let me know tomorrow when I see you at the Kingsglaive's quarter." I reached for my black jacket hovered over the sofa.

"Fine. Don't forget that we have a sparring session tomorrow. Remember to bring me the extra gloves. I still can't find mine."

"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow." I headed towards the door and opened it. "Nights. Oh, and sweet dreams on your tattoos."

He beamed brightly. "Nights! See you!"

I closed the door shut behind me and wore my jacket. The night's breeze is particularly strong tonight. I looked up to the sky, it's clouded with no glimpse of the star and moon.

Libertus's apartment is right near to the night market where the night life for all status of people enjoy. Lovers, friends, families and colleagues hanging out in this place. Compared to the city, this place is kind of run-down but it has attractions that get people to come especially the stalls that sold all kinds of stuffs. The foods are especially great.

I guess I know why Libertus wanted to stay here despite the fact that it can be noisy at times and things can get rowdy once in a while. It kind of feels like home, like Galahd. I felt a pang of heart and I shook whatever thoughts that were about to enter my mind by stretching my body a little.

My apartment is situated near the citadel which is a 10 minutes' walk away from Libertus's apartment. Passing through the night market, I see some kids running around, people drinking openly and some customers that were bargaining for a price at the armory stall.

I took a turn away from the market, heading towards the sea. It's a longer detour but maybe some sea breeze can do me some good, clear my mind a little. The earlier flashback is still hanging somewhere in my mind.

As I approached the sea which is located near the Elpida Sea Walkway, I could hear the splashing wave hitting the rock. The soothing sound of the sea became louder as I approached it. In a matter of time, I was standing on the white pavement of the walkway.

This walkway is on the outskirt of the town and pretty much abandoned. I had just recently stumbled across this place when I got too drunk and took the wrong turn. There's a few small buildings and houses that had collapsed and ruined to the ground. It could be from the high tide of the sea from a few years back that consumed everything in the way.

I investigated this area once I found this place. From what I gathered was the royals have labelled this area as a forbidden zone ever since there were some cases of people missing in this area. Then the rumors of this place being haunted starts circling among the Insomnia citizens so that people have stayed away from here since then.

Well, I like it here. It's peaceful and a good place for a getaway.

I got closer towards the sea and walked a few steps down the stairs and welcomed the breeze, brushing gently against my face. I could feel my mind getting clearer, the flames diminishing, the horrifying screams fading away and her face-

'Bang!' I heard something in that moment and I turned towards the loud sound. Just a little distance away, I saw the silhouette of a person moving backwards slowly with trash cans cluttering on the floor beside the figure.

It's a girl with dark, straight, long hair tied up in a ponytail in a black shirt with a hood. Her long legs were covered up with blue jeans and with a pair of black boots. Even from a distance, she seems thin and possibly young from her movement and stance.

That was when I noticed, there was a group of daemons- to be exact, goblins that were surrounding her. I could see that the daemons were approaching her while she's backing away from them. What's going on? Why are there daemons in Insomnia when the wall is up right now? The daemons don't matter now, because the girl does.

I made a break at them, running at my fastest possible. I could feel my heart pumping but my legs still going strong. As I got closer, I begin to summon for magic, my right hand becoming colder.

Once I was behind the girl, I yanked her hood with my other hand and pulled her towards me. She yelped and stumbled against my chest. The daemons lunged at us but before they got any nearer towards us, I was ready to blast my magic at them.

In an instant, they were frozen and slowly, they were struggling on the floor until they stop. One by one, they were consumed back into the ground, like a dark fluid sucking them back to where they come from. My hand becomes warmer while the other hand was resting on the girl's shoulder.

The girl didn't say anything when it all happened and she was still against my chest. She smells kind of like flower but I can't seem to place which fragrance it actually was.

Right then, she shook away from me as soon as she has registered everything that had just happened. She pushed me aside and frowned when she faced me. She stood slightly apart from me.

I took a good look at her face. She's young, younger than me. A few strands of hair seemed to have escaped from the tight ponytail and hovering over her slightly fair face. Her round, light blue eyes gazing coldly at me and her pink lips pressed tightly in a disapproving way.

I was actually expecting her to be relieved or feeling thankful for what I did but her face did not show any tinge of appreciation. It was more like anger instead.

"I could have handled that myself, you jerk!" she lashed out at me furiously.

I was not expecting that reaction and response. There was only a word that managed to slipped out from my mouth. "What?"

"Those were my hunt. Who do you think you are? Some kind of hero rescuing a damsel, trying to show off?"

"Hey, it's a glaive's duty to protect the city and the civilians," I replied annoyingly. "Besides, what can a girl like you could have done against those daemons?"

"That doesn't give you the right to butt in like that!" her face flashing redder.

Oh, dear lord. She's so noisy and I begun to feel regret for saving her in the first place. I decided to walk away but she stopped me on the spot.

"You are such an-" she yelled again but got cut off with a ringing coming from the pocket of her jeans. It was her phone and the ringtone was an instrumental music of "To Zanarkand".

She reached for the phone and answered it promptly as she turned away from me. "Hello. I'm in the city. What do you mean you didn't see me?" She looked around as she talked into the black phone of hers.

"Why don't we meet back in front of the Aurora Mall in…" she paused a while and glanced at the direction of the city and seems to be deciding how much time is needed to get there.

"8 minutes? What do you mean it's too quiet and too long? Well, of course. I am trying out a bra in the changing room of Uniqlo. Want to come over and have a look?" She smiled sheepishly as she was teasing whoever that was on the other line.

"Okay, see you then." she slipped the phone into her pocket and turned towards me.

"You," she points at me with her finger. "got lucky. The next time I see you, you won't be anymore."

Before I can say anything else, she was already running towards the direction of the city and never looked back. I was left alone, on the white pavement while the sound of the water hitting against the rock.

She left me wondering out loud. "Who the hell is that girl?" I can only wish I won't see her again but part of me can't help imagining what's going to happen if I do see her again.

 _ **-To be Continued-**_


	2. Chapter 2 (Skye)

I left the guy in black uniform standing in that place, wherever that was. If Glad found out that I wandered away from the city and went to that shady place, he would most certainly kill me off. I ran as hard as I can towards the city, passing through several alleys and making sharp turns as needed.

I guess I shouldn't have left the city. I just wanted to get away from Glad for a while so I just walked around and came across that place. I was attracted to the sound of the sea that was leading up to it.

I was so lucky to actually find those daemons. It was the chance to test my strength and skill. That jerk just have to butt it and killed them off in an instant. Thinking about him made me all flared up again and I stomped harder on the ground as I took every step on my run,

Wait, come to think of it. Didn't he just use some sort of magic that's quite similar to what Noctis did last time during his training with Glad? Does this mean that the jerk is some kind of royal or can be a relative of His Majesty? But he was also in some sort of military uniform, blabbing something about protecting the town and the civilians. He can't be a Crownsguard since I've never seen him before. Just who is that guy?

Despite the fact he was nosy and a busybody, I couldn't help but notice that he's kind of good looking with his shoulder-length, brown hair. His hair was shaved on each side, similar to Glad with two braids of hair tied on each side while leaving the rest down while the hair on his head stood straight.

When I looked into his deep blue eyes just now, it reminded me of the sea which could also be because we were near the sea. He's one head taller than me. When he pulled me to him earlier, I felt his strong body behind my back. Thin yet muscular.

I shook my head. I shouldn't waste my time thinking of these stuffs and just get it sort out later. I need to get to Uniqlo in another, I took a brief look at my watch, crap, I'm 3 minutes late. I caught sight of the huge crowd surrounding the Aurora Mall.

Unfortunately, just when I thought I have safely reached my destination, I bumped over someone in front of me when I was busy keeping a lookout for Glad left and right but I did not look ahead.

I fell flat on my butt onto the hard, concrete floor of the pavement.

"Hey!" the voice of the owner was softened by the chattering of the people in the area. I looked up just as the person turned around to look at me.

It was Iggy. Man, am I glad that it wasn't Glad.

"Skye? What the-? Just where in the world have you been?" he held out his gloved hand out to me. I took it and he helped me up. "Gladio has been looking all over for you. He went to search for you in Uniqlo."

"I, uh got bored of trying out clothes so I came out to find you guys," I stammered. Damn, I must be careful. Iggy is way too smart and he may find out where I had actually been.

"Really?" his eyes narrowed behind the spectacles. He took a look at me from top to bottom swiftly and his eyes caught something. Just as he was about to say something, we heard a husky voice right behind me.

"Skye! You idiot! You made me ran all over the place for you!" I turned around to face the owner of the voice, Glad. Before he says anything else, he hits me softly on my head. It didn't hurt much but it does sting a little.

"Hey! You have got to stop doing that! I'm not a kid and heck, I'm older than you!" I yelled at him, rubbing my head.

"I don't care. I told you not to run off by yourself again and stay beside me at all times," he scolded me. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to look for you in the undergarments' section?"

He began to blush that made me laughed out loud and Iggy smiled with amusement. Imagine a stoic guy that looks like Glad walking around, passing by the bras and panties, calling out to me.

I couldn't contain my laugh that made him flushed even more. "All right! That's enough! It's time to get you home," he held my arm and pushed me towards the direction of the citadel.

"No, wait! Come on! We've just got out and I want to chat with Iggy. Please?" I begged him by flashing him with the sweetest smile and pleading eyes I can muster. He turns soft whenever I act this way.

Just for the sake of insurance, I switched my eye contact towards Iggy that just smiled wider. He gave me an acknowledging look and said, "Yeah, I want to hang out with Skye more. More importantly, I want to treat that cut on her arm."

Cut? I lifted my right arm and looked but no cuts and shifted to my left arm. Yep, there it is. Three small cuts on the side of my arm, with bloods that have already dried up.

Glad got panicked as soon as he saw the wound and grabbed my arm. He immediately launched into a series of questions. "Do you feel any pain? Is there any blood loss? Is it deep? How did you get the-?"

Iggy cut him off and adjusted his spectacles with his finger. "Let's keep the interrogation for later. We should find a quiet place and attend to the wound first."

I smiled in appreciation at him which he accepted with a nod. Glad agreed hastily and quickly scanned the area around us.

He pointed at a small stall not far from us that seems to be the perfect place since there were barely any customers so it'll be easier to chat. "There! Is it good enough? I'm going to get some bandage while you and Ignis head over there first."

He ran off instantly without waiting for a reply from any of us and disappeared into the crowds.

"As impatient as ever. I actually have a bandage with me," Iggy said while shaking his head. "Come on, let's go there now." Iggy held my arm and escorted me towards the stall.

The owner in a red bandana warmly greeted us with great energy. "Hiya, folks! What would you have?"

Iggy took a swift look at the menu board and ordered a few dishes. He even asked for a cup of water and took it in his hand. After that, we moved along to an empty table which is far away from the remaining customers.

As soon as I sat down, Ignis whom was still standing, reached for my arm and looked at the wound. He poured the water on it, took out a napkin from his pocket and gently wiped the wound.

I feel myself flushing and embarrassed. Despite the fact that Iggy is one of my best friends, just being in this situation still makes me feel a little awkward.

He fished inside his jacket's pocket for a bandage and took it out. It was a pink bandage which don't suit his style at all. Then, he applied the bandage on my arm. "There, all done. Feeling better?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I actually barely felt anything," I took a look at my arm and the bandage. It was a pink Moogle bandage which is really cute. It doesn't suit Ignis's style at all. I wonder what was on his mind when he bought it. "If you hadn't pointed out the cut earlier, I doubt I'll even notice it."

He paused for a while, staring at my arm and pulled one of the chairs. "So, are you going to tell me how did you cut your hand?"

As he sat down, his movements are surprisingly graceful despite his tall and lean body. He looks great today in his usual white-collar shirt with matching black long pants.

"I, uh," I fumbled for words and thought hard. It must have been from one of those goblins earlier that got too close to me and clawed my arm when I tried to defend myself.

I can't tell him that it was from the goblins. If he tells Glad, I would never be able to leave the house ever again until Father comes back. Glad would be so freaked out too.

"When I bumped into you earlier, I must have scratched myself on the floor," I replied, hoping he would eat it up.

Iggy narrowed his eyes a little but he didn't say anything. I decided to elaborate the story to make it more believable.

However, right then, Glad appeared. "I'm here! And the bandage's here too!" He ran towards us while holding on to a white, small box while waving it at us.

As soon as he reached our table, he frowned a little when he saw my arm. "Where… did you… get the… bandage?" he was huffing heavily, trying to catch his breath. He must have run all over the place, searching for the bandage.

"I had it. You ran off right before I was able to tell you anything," Ignis said smoothly with a playful grin.

"You could have called me on my phone!" he scowled at Iggy. I felt my mood getting better. It was always fun to hang out with them especially when they are acting like kids. There weren't many people that I can talk to and just fool around with.

Glad sat down angrily and the table shook a little. I was expecting him to get worked up real soon again but just then, the owner appeared with a few dishes in his hand.

One of them was delicious looking juicy ribs, covered in black sauces that I assumed is the store's signature dish. I think it was called the Super Gargantuar Steak. I felt his anger diminishing as the smoke rises from the ribs.

I grinned, thinking that Iggy was so close to Glad that Iggy knew just what can cool him down. "Well, let's eat. Oh! And that's yours alone, Gladiolus. Both Skye and I don't feel like eating that."

"Well, if you say so!" Glad grabbed the utensils and began chugging down on the food. He paused for a moment and turned to me. "By the way, Skye, where did you get that injury in the first place?"

I was about to put the fries, dipped with mayonnaise into my mouth and got stopped by the question. I decided to feed Glad with the same answer that I gave Iggy. "When I bumped into Iggy earlier, I fell down on the floor and cut myself somehow."

"Really?" The question was gestured towards Iggy, not me. That look that Iggy showed just now feels like he didn't believe what I had said.

"Yeah, she ran into me just now when she was looking for you," he said as he took a bite of scrambled eggs.

"Well, be more careful next time. You are as clumsy as ever. And don't go missing on us anymore." Glad said sternly but I can feel the kindness in his tone. He's just genuinely worried about me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I said while flaunting my hand. "I was just eager to see you after all, Gladdy." I winked seductively at him.

His face turned hard instead of flushing red. I guess I no longer have the effect of teasing him anymore. He seems to have built up an immune against my advances. It's no longer fun. It was so much easier to tease him when we were younger.

Ever since he joined the Crownsguard, he's been different. In a way that I can't quite describe. As for Iggy, he has been his usual self, the cautious and observant type. Be that as it may, once in a while, you can see that he drops his guard around us when we hang out.

Both of them started to engage in a small talk about their work while I continue to eat my food, staring off into the distance. I can never be involved in their work talk since I'm not even well, working.

Two young girls passed by our table and stared at us or to be precise, the guys. They started to giggle and whisper softly that made the guys glanced up at them. When they realized that they caught the guys' attention, they waved at both of the guys.

The guys awkwardly reciprocated with a nod and went back their food and chat related to Crownsguard.

Here I am, the average looking girl sitting in between of these two good looking guys. They are actually quite well known among the people of Insomnia especially the women.

I turned to my left, Ignis Scientia. He's one of my closest friends aside from Glad. He always seems so serious and have a nonsensical look but he can crack some wise joke once in a while.

He's handsome with his short dirty blond hair down, covering his forehead that's slightly above his eyebrows. His emerald green eyes were clear matched with a similar colour glasses.

I looked over to my right, Gladiolus Amiticia. I've known him ever since we were young. We practically grew up together along with his younger sister, Iris. Despite his stoic and cool look, he's a warm and nice guy.

He's very good looking with his tall and strong build, tan body from all the training he did. His dark brown hair was shaved until the top of his forehead, while above that, the hair stood still. He's wearing a comfortable dark blue oversized sweater that he'll lend me once in a while.

He's kind of hot-headed but he means well. But he can be way too protective of me. Well, I can't blame him. After all, he's my-

"-the glaives seem to be handling well on the front line against the Nilfeheim. I feel like Crownsguards don't seem to on the front anymore," Glad said to Iggy. For some reason, my attention was on them now when they mentioned something.

"Well, at the moment, our duty is to protect His Majesty, His Highness and the royal family," Iggy replied smoothly. "Let the glaives handle the rest. There's no doubt on their capability, despite what others say."

Glaives… It sounded familiar. Where have I heard it before? It was not too long ago, like it was just a few moments ago. I raked my brain, trying to remember when was that. Almost like… That's it! The guy in black by the sea earlier. I sat upright and focus on their conversation, eager to know more about these glaives they are talking about.

It's the first I've heard of it. Father never lets me learn anything about the army and war so it means that glaives are somehow related to them.

"They are having a recruitment for Kingsglaives tomorrow. If it weren't for Crownsguards, I would have been there," Glad said as he sips his drink.

"I don't think you would qualified for it though. After all, to be a glaive, you need to have affinity for magic," Iggy replied with a smirk on his face.

"Hey! I just prefer to use weapon rather than magic. It's not like I have no potential in throwing fire or summoning thunder," Glad retorted angrily. "If I want, I can do it."

"Then, by all means, sign up for the recruitment at the Kingsglaives' headquarters tomorrow morning. It's going to be at the East Wing of the citadel."

As I listened intently to their conversation, the guy in black pops into my mind along with an idea building in my head. I find myself smiling now, looking forward to find out how event shall transpire tomorrow.

 ** _-To be Continued-_**


	3. Chapter 3 (Nyx)

My eyes squinted under the bright sunlight as I stood in line with the glaives on the training ground. My mind was filled with last night's event, replaying the scenario over and over again. The walkway, the daemons and the girl. Especially the girl. I was still pissed at her attitude but it was refreshing to have her on my mind rather than the horrifying memories. I actually slept better.

The blockhead, Luche stood in front of us with his head held high, looking cocky. He was giving a briefing on the combat training today. Drautos who was supposed to lead the training is apparently elsewhere, conducting the recruitment for the new Kingsglaives. I had literally forgotten all about it. I wonder what kind of new recruits will join us this year.

Libertus fidget beside me and nudged my arm with his neck sticking towards me and whispered, "Psst… I heard Luche is going to be Kingsglaives' vice-captain. Man, I don't want to receive any order from him. He's such a show-off douche."

"Well, despite his personality, there's no doubt that he's skilled in hand-to-hand combat, magic and wielding weapons," I replied softly back to him.

"Well, for what it's worth. I believe you're better than him. You just don't show off as much as him so the captain wasn't able to see you in action."

I didn't reply him and shrugged casually. I don't care about competing with him for the role. Greater responsibility means I need to waste my time on handling paperwork so I'd rather avoid that hassle.

"You should-,"

"Hey! Ostium!" Luche shouted Libertus's name loudly so everyone's attention was on us now. He made his way towards our direction and stood in from of Libertus. "Is there anything that you would like to share with us?"

Libertus quickly stood straight and both of their eyes locked on one another. Libertus replied him with a flat 'No'.

"No what?"

I could feel Libertus's anger building up as he curled his fist and about to explode so I quickly stepped in.

"No, Sir!" I voiced out loud which made Luche shifted his gaze on me. He never liked me and I knew that. Possibly because he has some sort of rivalry towards me which I really don't care.

He moved towards me and leaned in, close to my face as though he's trying to exert his superiority against me but I remain impassive while focusing my attention behind him.

He gave me one of his stupid smirks and pulled himself away from me as he walked back to the front again. I rolled my eyes and cursed under my breath.

"Asshole," I muttered loud enough for Libertus to hear which he nodded in agreement.

"Now, without further interruption from both Ulric and Ostium," Luche said and gestured his hand at us. "We shall begin hand-to-hand combat. Wear your gloves and partner up."

I reached for the belt at my back and grabbed the gloves, passing one pair of it to Libertus. He shook his head and took out his own. "I found mine lying in my closet earlier. Don't need yours anymore."

"You should have told me earlier. What do I do with this now?"

"Keep it in the locker. You never know when you might lose it."

I frowned but stuffed the gloves into my pocket. "It took me the whole morning to dig it out."

"Sorry, bro."

"Hey, Nyx. Want to be my sparring partner?" a girl's voice called out.

"Sure, why not?" I said as I turned towards the owner of the voice, Crowe Altius. The best female candidate in the Kingsglaives. She doesn't get along with the rest of the girls so she normally hangs out with me, Libertus and Pelna.

"Hey, I thought I was going to be your partner," Libertus exclaimed at me with a disapproving tone.

Another voice joins in. Pelna's. "Now, now. You can just spar with me, Libertus. Leave the lovebirds alone."

Libertus laughed at that while Crowe grinned with a smirk. "At least I have a partner," Crowe retorted.

"No, you always spar with Nyx. Why don't you partner up with Pelna?" Libertus asked with a grim look.

"No, Nyx is a better fighter."

"Hey, that hurts. It's true but it hurts," Pelna said gloomily.

I stood a step back as they continued with their bicker. I observed with amusement. It's always like this whenever we want to find a partner. Of course, Crowe always wins.

"Fine, go with Nyx. Just leave me with Pelna again. Damn," Libertus scowled. "I hope you're happy for putting me in this position every single time."

"Hey, I'm standing right here," Pelna said. "I'm as good as you, you know?"

"No, I'm better."

"Well, Nyx. You're mine," Crowe said as she turned towards me. "Let's go to the corner. No one's there."

"After you," I said and gestured her to go ahead first. She took it with a flirting smile. Crowe regularly lays all those flirtatious acts on me but she just likes to tease. After all, she's like my bro.

I followed her behind while I fastened on my gloves. We stood at the corner, near the high wall. We were a distance away from each other, getting into our fighting pose. I noticed Libertus and Pelna were far away from us, at the center. Typical of them to be the center of attention.

"Is everyone in position with their partners?" Luche asked loudly and there were no answers which means it's a yes. "Very well then."

My body crouched down a little and put my fists up. Crowe did the same with a grin. She looked confident today.

"Ready. Get set," Luche counted down. My adrenaline pumped and my reflex was set to react. "GO!"

Crowe made the first move as she ran towards me while I stood there, analyzing her movements. Just as I was about to deflect her, a dark figure landed beside us and ran into her full force and Crowe flew aside with a yelp. The sand on the ground whisked upwards, covering the figure in front of me.

I was both shocked and confused at what just happened. My eyes were strained with the dust around so I took a step back, looking for Crowe. She sprawled on the ground, knocked out cold.

I turned to the front at the figure. A punch flew towards me through the dust in the air. It almost hit me but I was quick to dodge aside and took a step back from the infiltrator. The figure was now away from the sands that were slowly dispersing to the ground.

I can see clearly now. The figure was covered in black. Black shirt, black pants, black boots and a black mask revealing her eyes. A black ponytail stuck out of the hole in the mask as the hair danced with the wind. The figure looks like… A girl?

Loud voices rang now. "Infiltrator! Get him!" Luche shouted loudly but it was covered by the sound of a bomb exploding. Black smokes rose to the air on the far end of the building.

The girl lunged at me in the mid of confusion and I avoided swiftly. I need to apprehend her now before it gets out of control. Footsteps ran towards us while another group of footsteps was heading away from the training ground.

A few of the glaives were behind me but I held my hand up to stop them from approaching. "I'll deal with this. Deal with the explosion and help Crowe."

The glaives quickly grabbed Crowe and left the training ground. I was left alone with this person.

I summoned for my magic. Lighting crackling in my hand and I sent it at her. She was agile enough to move away from the strike but got closer to me.

I reached for her but she struck my arm away and moved in to kick my stomach. I got a hold of her leg and twisted her in the air. Her hands found the ground and she pushed herself away from it with her legs coming towards my face.

I was able to get my hands in front of my face in time and gripped her shoes and flaunt her to the side. She did a mid-air flip and landed with her hand on the ground and crouched body, stopping the force.

She got up again and ran at me, trying to tackle me. I shifted aside and used my arm to wrung around her neck and got her into a stronghold. She grunted and struggled in my arms. That's when I got a whiff of scent off her. It was so familiar.

It was the flower scent of that girl yesterday.

I was caught off guard at that moment and my hold on her loosened. She took the opportunity and raised her right leg to knock me on my nose. I stumbled backward and held my nose that was trickling with blood.

She didn't lose a moment and her elbow was heading for my stomach but before it made any contact on my body, I ducked down and swiped her leg. She fell down and I quickly got on top of her and nailed her arms to the ground with both of my hands.

Her sky-blue eyes met my gaze as she struggled beneath me. Her legs thrashed wildly and I pinned them down with my own legs.

"You? Are you the girl from yesterday?" I asked softly but she continued struggling with panicked eyes.

Heavy footsteps sounded through the hallway and I can feel a group of people was rushing towards us. A strong voice came through, "What's going on here?"

It was Drautos.

Libertus and Luche got out from the crowd and seized her. I got up and wiped the blood off my nose. They hurled the girl up on her feet as she fights their grip on her. It was useless.

I tried to catch my breath. It's been a while since anyone has been able to go on par with me and tired me out like this in a hand to hand combat. This girl is skillful.

Drautos stood in front of me and his gaze swept at me from head to toe. "You're a mess. She got you good," he said amusingly.

I scowled at him then turned to her. Her eyes were cast on the floor with her head hung low.

Drautos reached for her mask and she shrunk away. Luche got a hold of her head and pushed her head forward. Time slows down as he peeled the mask away. Her features were revealed one by one.

Her chin, her lips, her nose, her ears and her eyes.

It was that girl from yesterday.

Luche took his dagger and laid it on her neck.

"Who sent you? Was it Nilfeheim? Why are you here?" Luche barked the questions in fury.

She was sweating and trembling as though she was afraid. But she wasn't afraid of us. Something else was on her mind as her eyes were cast on the floor.

"Answer me!" Luche pushed and his dagger dug in deeper, drawing blood and she winced but didn't cry out.

"Stop!" I yelled. Everyone's eyes were on me and I turned to Drautos. Luche's removed his dagger away from her neck a little.

"I know her," I said calmly. "She's not from Nilfeheim, sir."

"A friend?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Kind of…"

His gaze darted from me to her and to me again. "Who is she?"

"Well…," I said as I looked at her. Her eyes widened and pursed her lips.

"Who are you, girl? What are you doing here?" Drautos asked her. "Your answer may either cost your life or save your life."

She hesitated and looked at my face. I wasn't sure what my expression looked like but it made her opened her mouth.

"I am Skye..," she paused. "Skye Iravel."

"What are you doing here, Iravel?"

"I came to find him," she said as she nodded towards my direction.

"What do you want with Ulric?" Drautos asked.

"I…. Well…. He….," she stammered, searching for the right words.

Damn it. If they find out that she was an infiltrator attacking a glaive, she would be charged with assault. Knowing Luche, he would suggest an execution and put that idea in Drautos's head. She's a harmless girl and doesn't seem to be a bad person.

Looks like I have no choice.

"She was finding me for lunch," I said. "I told her about my training today and she decided to come and check it out."

Drautos's arched his eyebrow at me.

"She saw me here so she attacked me on reflex just to annoy me. We are always arguing with each other," I said and looked over at the girl's stunned face. I tried to recall what was her name again. "Right, S-Skye?"

She looked at me suspiciously but nodded. "Yeah. I was just trying to annoy him because…. he… stole my… underwear."

The crowd erupted in laughter and I find my face flashing hot. Libertus had tears in his eyes and Crowe eyed me disgustingly. Here, I was trying to help her and she just embarrassed me in front of everyone in return. But I couldn't point out her lie because it would have just made the Kingsglaives distrust me and throw me in the dungeon with this idiot.

Damn this girl. Why did I decide to help her? I should have just left her to her own death.

"No, I didn't," I denied with a little anger. "You must have mixed me up with someone else."

"Yes, you did. You shouldn't lie. It happened last night, remember?" she asked with a sarcastic tone.

It's useless to fight this with her so I should just let it be.

"Right, I just remembered. It was just a joke. You have got to let it go," I said with gritted teeth.

The fear in her eyes was replaced with playfulness. "That's because you never apologize and return my underwear to me."

"Ulric?" Drautos asked with an amused tone.

I gripped my hands, trying to keep my anger down. I am so pissed now that I would like to just throw my dagger at her. I took a deep breath and managed to mutter, "I am sorry. I would return it to you so why don't you apologize to everyone on what you had just done?"

"I am sorry for attacking him and disrupting the training," she said and managed to sound apologetic.

"And?" I asked

"And what?"

"You blew up a building!"

"What? I didn't do that."

Drautos was the one that answered, "Oh, that was from one of the candidates that were trying to summon fire and hit a target. He missed it and send the fire to a gas tank that triggered a small explosion. No worries, we were able to put out the fire in time and no one was injured. It was also thanks to everyone that came running to help out. Speaking of that, I need to get back to the exam now."

"So, what do we do with her?" Luche said and nudged her, a little too aggressively.

"Iravel," Drautos stood in front of Skye. "I don't see many people that can wear out Ulric like this. Since you're here already, why don't you take the test and see if you are qualified to be a Kingslaive? I believe anyone that can make Ulric's nose bleed, she should be in the glaives."

Some of the glaives chuckled and a few insults were thrown around.

What? He's actually considering letting her join the Kingsglaives? This is not good. I don't know about her and I whipped out those lies just to get her out of the jam. What if the other glaives found out we lied and I was just accused of being an underwear's thief. Having her around, it's going to be trouble.

Our eyes met and I shook my head lightly with my eyes shouting 'NO'. She paused for a while and her eyebrows arched in an agreed manner and I exhaled in relief. I guess everything is going to be okay after all.

She opened her mouth and I waited for her decline.

"Where do I sign up?" she asked with a wicked grin.

-To be Continued-


	4. Chapter 4 (Skye)

One thing led to another, I'm joining Kingsglaive. I know I could have just walked away instead of accepting the offer from the guy that seems to be the captain of the glaives.

I just couldn't resist it.

Aside from being caught and almost revealing my true identity, I had fun. Life in the mansion was boring since the butler and maids keep their distance away from me. Father is going to be away for another 2 months. Gladdy and Iggy try to keep me company but they aren't there most of the time since they are busy with being Crownguards.

This is finally the opportunity to do something exciting.

I walked closely behind the captain with the rest of the new recruits. There were only 6 of us so far and to be honest, none of them look impressive. And hell, I am the only girl.

The captain led us down the hallway, passing by several rooms and more open spaces. The Kingsglaives' quarter is located on the east wing of the Citadel. I practically grew up in the Citadel but I've never noticed this wing before. My house and the Crownsguards is situated in the west wing and I've also accompanied father to the Central for special occasions.

Unlike the Crownsguards' quarters that are so grand and royal, this place feels a little dull with all the white, black and grey coloring. Then, the captain stopped. To my left, it was an empty training ground with a very tall, solid grey tower in the middle. To my right, there was a very simple squarish, wide white building with just a brown door. No window, no roof, nothing.

He turned the doorknob of the building, walked in and we followed. Revealed inside was a similar shade of white room and it was spacious, enough to fit a long truck. On the right side, there was a long window screen. Standing in the middle of the room were three dummies and a barrel filled with colorful balls in front of the entrance. The distance between the barrel and dummies were about five feet away. The dummies resembled green cacti as though they were running with open mouth. They actually look kind of cute.

The door closes behind me and the captain stood next to the barrel before facing back at us.

"Alright, everyone. This is the skill test. You only need to do one thing, throw these magic flasks at the dummies. Since you all are novices, just hitting one will allow you to pass the test. Unlike the earlier test which tests your affinity, this relies on your technique. Also, these dummies-"

One of the candidates whom looked arrogant and bulky but not as well built as Glad walked up to the barrel with a smirk. "That's way too easy. Let me demonstrate to them," he said as he threw a wink at me.

I rolled my eyes. Please, he can't even stand up to Glad.

"Well, be my guest then," the captain said and stepped aside, looking unimpressed.

The bulky guy grabbed an orange spherical flask, aimed and threw at the dummies. As soon as the ball left his hand and flew towards the middle dummy, the green dummies all jolted upright and ran in different directions. The flask arched into the thin air and as soon as it contacts the floor, it exploded in flames.

The middle dummy charged forward at the bulky guy which I then realized was actually thorny from top to bottom when I looked at it closely. Its hand knocked the bulky guy and he screamed in a high-pitched voice and rolled onto the floor, clutching his face.

The dummy then withdrew itself to his fellow dummies in the back and stood on the ceiling.

I stood there in awe, amazed by the moving dummies. There was no sign of life in them and suddenly, there they are, hopping around and sticking on the wall. However, now they revert back to the solid state and stood still, looking back at us with the hollow eyes.

"Now, what Hamage have demonstrated here was his stupidity by charging into battle without listening to the full briefing," the captain said with his deep voice and look down at Hamage who was flushed with embarrassment. There were a few red scratches on his face. "The least impact is maybe he'll have a grisly death but the worst is breaking the formation and ruining the Kingsglaives' effort. So, if you want to die, make sure you die yourself without dragging us down for your foolishness."

The captain stared at him fiercely and the guy shrunk back, attempting to hide behind us but the captain's gaze followed him closely.

The captain cleared his throat and one of his hands was up in the air, enclosing a small device with a red button. His thumb pressed the button and immediately, the dummies jumped back onto the floor and ran back to where it had initially stood.

"Let me pick up where I left off or would one of you like to have a go like Hamage did?" he asked sarcastically. None of us answered and waited for him to continue. He nodded in approval and said, "Alright, where did I stop again? Right, the dummies. They are not ordinary dummies. They can run, jump and hurt you. So, you should stay as far away from them as possible."

He moved towards the barrel of spherical flasks and grabbed a blue flask. "These are magic flasks that contain magical elements. The orange flask thrown by our friend there earlier is fire, yellow is lighting and this here," he said as he threw the flask to the side of the room and once it hits the wall, it exploded with frosty ice forming on the surface. "Is blizzard."

That magic reminded me of the guy when he helped me out yesterday. He froze those daemons and they died instantly. However, he wasn't using any flask. He actually summoned the magic himself. I wonder if I can actually do that.

"What you need to do is pair up in two and hit one of these dummies. You can use any flask as long as you can hit it. Use your brain and think of what you can do with these flasks," his eyes swept through all of us. "I'll give you 5 seconds to pair up."

All six of us looked at each other in panic. The captain began his countdown.

"Five." A guy with mustache.

'Four." A tall, thin guy.

"Three." Hamage.

"Two." A red-haired guy.

"One." A guy with round glasses.

Our eyes met at the last second and instantly, we nodded our head and he walked to me.

Just like that, we have our partner. Hamage was with a red-haired guy. The mustache guy with the tall guy.

"Good," the captain said. "We'll start with Iravel and Larson. The both of you have 5 minutes to come up with a plan. The rest of you, get out and prepare."

The rest of the candidates quickly ran out of the room as though they can't wait to get away from the captain and the deadly dummies. The captain also walked towards the door and turned back to us. "I'll be viewing from there," he said as his head gestured towards the long window then back to us. "5 minutes."

He walked out and the door closed slowly behind him.

The timid guy grimaced beside me nervously.

"Well, I guess it's just the two of us now. I'm Skye Iravel. You?" I asked.

"M-M-Malain Larson. N-Nice t-to meet you, Iravel," he stammered.

"Hey, chill out. Just call me Skye. Why are you so nervous?"

"I-It just that I messed up earlier. So, I'm kind of worried I might embarrass myself again."

"What did you do?"

"I was so excited for summoning magic a-and then I threw it into a gas tank and it exploded," he said awkwardly.

"That was you?" I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud. "That was kind of awesome."

His blush made him look like a very young boy. He has deep brown eyes hidden behind round glasses matching his brown hair. He is around the same height as me and skinny too. We are actually quite the same build. Finally. I've been surrounded by tall guys and my neck is starting to ache. At least I don't have to crank my neck, talking to Malain.

"I didn't mean to," Malain said and his blush deepen. "The captain asked me to shoot and I shot. I might have missed the target a little."

"Well, it was awesome. I guess I should thank you for that." If it wasn't for him, my ambush wouldn't have succeeded smoothly. I mean I still failed, but at least I exacted my revenge. It's a win for me.

"For what?" he asked curiously

"Don't worry about that," I said, hoping to change the subject. No reason to let him know about what I did earlier. "Alright, Malain. Let's plan what should we do now."

He glanced over to the dummies and walked towards to the barrel of flasks. Unconsciously, he tipped his glasses by the left side of the frame. "How good are you in throwing balls?"

My head tilted as I tried to remember my training with Glad. He needed help with swinging his huge swords back when he started Crownsguards. To help him, I had thrown lots of stones at him for him to deflect. Over time, I actually learned how to throw quite well, estimating the distances and strength to put into.

"Not too bad," I said, maybe a little too confidently.

"Great," he said, eyes beaming. "I have the affinity but my throw can be a little off. You'll need to step in for this. Let's throw these flasks and observed the radius that the magic spreads as soon as they hit the floor."

"Let's do it," I said, excited to see what we could do. He grabbed a few flasks and we moved to the corner of the room, away from the dummies.

He gave me the yellow flask and pointed to the floor on the opposite of us. "Just throw it on the floor."

I adjusted my strength and threw at the pinpointed spot. Thunder stroke the floor, leaving black marks. Malain nodded his head in acknowledgment. He handed me the rest of the flasks and I kept throwing as he instructed. The wall, the floor and the ceiling. As he observed, he would nod his head every now and then.

"Okay, I got an idea," he said after the last blue flask landed on the floor.

I turned to him. "What should I do?"

"Here's what I have found out so far. The blizzard one can cover a wider area, the lighting strikes from above and the fire has the most damage. Our best chance to strike the dummies are when they are still standing still in the middle so we only have one try for this if we want to hit them all."

"Oh? You're targeting all of them?"

"The plan I come up with can instantly knock all of them if we can get our timing right."

"Okay, how?"

"Thunders and blizzards first. I'll throw thunder directly on the ceiling above them. That way, they can't jump onto the ceiling. You'll throw blizzards to each side of the dummies. Left, right, and back to trap them in their current position. The back is trickier so you'll need to get the timing right and lob them to drop at the same time. Don't have to throw in front of them because we want to get them closer to us and prevent the fire from losing its heat when we throw at them later. Finally, the fire, I believe one should be enough. Two, to be safe. Just throw them directly towards the dummies and it should engulf all of them instantly."

I blinked in amazement as he explains. That was actually a good plan. I was planning to just throw all the flasks at them like a crazy person.

"Awesome!" I said as I hit him gently at the back. "You thought of all that from just throwing these balls around?"

He blushes again and cast his eyes on the floor. I grinned. This guy is as smart as Iggy but too shy. If he could be more confident, he can reach high.

"Alright, time's up!" The captain's voice sounded from the side of the window.

"Ready?" I asked him. He gulped down and stare at the dummies then back at me.

"Okay. Remember. Thunder, blizzard and fire. I'll take thunder, you do blizzards then we'll get to fire together, got it?" He said as we stood on either side of the barrel of flasks.

"Got it," I said as I gather three blizzard flasks in my hand and he grabbed two thunder flasks.

"On my count," he said as he got into an awkward stance.

"Three." I grabbed one ball in my hand.

"Two." I stared at those dummies.

"One." We threw the flasks together consecutively. One by one, the flasks all flew towards the dummies. Based on my estimation, my lobs should reach their destination. Without pausing, our hands grabbed the fire flasks and prepared ourselves for the thunder strikes and blizzard freeze.

 _Thud Thud Thud_

Immediately, the thunder strikes above them while the blizzard froze the floor surrounding them except for the front. Just as Malain had anticipated, they dashed forward to escape and without a second to lose, we threw the fire flasks at them.

"Shit!" Malain cursed. He must have thrown it off-base. Doesn't matter. I was sure of my throwing skills. Then I noticed it. His flask was flying towards mine. Both of the flasks flew to the middle, nearing the dummies and the flasks hit each other. It led to a huge explosion, throwing both me and Malain backward as we spiraled onto the floor. When I looked up, all of the dummies had already turned black and collapsed onto the floor.

My mouth dropped open as I tried to stand up. "Was that supposed to happen?"

He coughed between the smokes as he adjusted his glasses. "No, I didn't expect the fire flasks to be able to merge and generate a stronger impact."

My hand reached down to him and I pulled him up. "That was so, so cool."

The door behind us burst open and the captain walked in, clapping. "That was the best skill test I've seen. Iravel with the technique and Larson with the plan. Both of you have exceeded my expectation and passed with flying colors. Good job."

"Larson, despite what you have done earlier, this has made up for it. You'll do great for us Kingsglaives for years to come. Iravel, you have such potential for a Kingsglaive. Where have you been all this time? Keep up the good work."

Both Malain and I high five in the air, feeling proud of our accomplishment. We actually did it.

The rest of the candidates outside peered in with curiosity and their eyes widen as they saw the lying dummies on the floor.

"Hamage and Roxley, you're up next. Five minutes."

Both of us stepped out with the captain while the other two stepped in. The door closed shut behind us.

"Iravel, all you need now is to affinity test and you're good to go. I've already seen your combat so I'll be giving you a pass on that," he said as he looked behind me. His eyes registered something. "Ulric, come here."

Ulric? That's the guy, right?

I turned and he strode towards us, uneasiness in his eyes.

"Your friend here did very well. Have you been hiding her from me?" he asked Ulric when he stood beside me.

"Ummm…," he stammered, unsure of what to say.

"Doesn't matter. Ulric, I need you to bring her to test her affinity. You know what to do, right? Once you're done, bring her back here."

Me and Ulric's eyes met and he gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine."

The captain nodded in satisfaction and walked away.

"Skye?" I turned towards Malain. "Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without you."

I gave him a thumbs up. "Ditto."

"Come on, Skye. We need to talk," Ulric interjected as he dragged me away, down the hallway.


	5. Chapter 5 (Nyx)

"Stop wasting my time and answer me! Who the hell are you?!" I asked furiously as I hovered over her as she leaned against the wall. We were standing in an empty hallway near the Magical Fountain.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? Skye Iravel! Skye Iravel! Are you deaf or something?" she retorted and folded her arms.

"I don't mean your name and you know that. Stop being a wise ass," I said and my hand instinctively slammed on the wall just next to her face. I leaned it closer, hoping to pressure her.

She shrugged and stared fearlessly back into my eyes. "Just a girl that can kick your ass."

I tried to keep my anger down and restrained myself from yelling at her.

"What do you want from me? Do you know I'm going to get into trouble if they found out that I am not related to you in whatsoever ways? You're ruining my position and reputation here," I exclaimed. "Why in the world did you accept the offer from Drautos to join the glaives?"

I was pestered by the glaives throughout the whole training session and they were either being too judgmental or over-praising me. I came up with a lame reason to excuse myself from training to hunt down this idiot. I thought I could have convinced her to walk away but honestly, it is unlikely for what I wished to happen based on her characteristics.

"What does this have to do with you anyway? I know, I know. You are the reason that I was able to be here but it was my skills that got the captain's approval. Heck, he even said the skill test I did earlier was the best he has ever seen," she said with a proud smirk.

Seriously? She actually passed the test with such a good review from Drautos? He rarely praises people and it would really take a lot to prove ourselves to him. I was actually the highest scorer in the skill test. Now, I feel like I was being replaced and I didn't like it.

"Look, just go. Leave me and the glaives alone, for God's sake," I said as breathed out a sigh. "If you want to join an army so much, go to the Crownsguards."

Her expression changed suddenly from smirk to frown. "Who are you to decide where I should go?" Her tone grown louder and angrier as she stood upright from the wall. "I can go wherever the heck I want and do whatever the heck I want. If I want to join the glaives, then I should join the glaives. You have no right to just push me to the Crownsguards."

All the while she was shouting her words, her face got even closer to mine and reflectively, I withdrew as I was taken aback by her sudden outburst. But she wasn't letting up as she kept moving forward towards me.

God, that flowery smell of hers is so strong and fragrant. My head was spinning. Just what is that flower? I've never been a flower person but Sel-

I push that thought away before it crept too deep into my mind. Suddenly, my emotion was taken over by annoyance and pettiness. I just want to get this over with.

"This is my life and my right," she continues. "So, just back-"

I interjected before she continued with her rambling. "Fine, then do whatever you want because I won't be here to help you. You want the glaives this much, then go for it. But you can bet your ass that I won't be anywhere near you from now on."

I said and turned away from her as I prepared to storm off. A few guys in Crownsguards uniform were striding towards us. Two steps away from her and I felt a hand encircled my wrist from behind. I looked over my shoulder and her eyes were in fear.

"Wait, please," she pleaded desperately and stepped closer to me. It was like she's trying to hide behind me. "They can't see me."

"I don't care," I said as I shook off her grip. I seriously want nothing to do with her.

Her other hand joined in and her grips tighten. It was hard to shake her away.

"Please, I'm begging you. I'll do whatever you want me to do. I'll listen to you. Promise," her voice was in panic.

"Oh, really?" I asked curiously. I wonder why the sudden change in her.

I glanced forward again and the Crownsguards were nearing us. They were talking in excitement and there were two guys among them that stood out the most.

The first one is a middle-aged man with a shaved head and he was wearing a black and gold uniform. I felt I've seen him before but I couldn't remember where exactly.

Another one was in the black uniform with his hair shaved on the sides and tall with a very well-built body. I could feel his imminent strength even from this distance.

Is she related to the Crownsguards somehow? I wasn't sure if she was acting or trying to get my sympathies or she has some other motives, but this might be my chance to get rid of her.

Wasn't sure what I was about to do but my first instinct was to shake off her grips and then enclosed my arm around her shoulder. I pulled her to my side tightly as I shield her body with mine.

"Follow me," I whispered softly. The Crownsguards were just a few steps away from us so they would have seen her but luckily, their attention was on the middle-aged man and Skye was thin enough for me to block.

We walked slowly in a synchronized rhythm as we cut across the open area towards the Magical Fountain. As we climbed down the short ledge, the Crownsguards' footsteps resounded, passing behind us.

I couldn't hear clearly what they were saying because my attention was on Skye. She was trembling in fear.

Did these guys harm her in some way? Normal people wouldn't have reacted like this. We kept walking towards the magical fountain and suddenly, their footsteps stopped. Could they have recognized her from the back?

I pulled her and she staggered in front of me. I had to steady her by holding her shoulders. "Crowe! You idiot! How many times do I have to tell you to watch your steps?" I shouted at the top of my lung, hoping the Crownsguards can hear me.

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I heard footsteps started walking down the hall. Skye's body calmed down and she breathed out in relief. We kept walking until the sounds of their footsteps faded into nothing.

We were already standing in front of the Magical Fountain and I let her go. She whipped around and looked behind me. As soon as she confirmed the Crownsguards have left, her face brightened and jumped in excitement.

"Phew, that was a close one," she said. "Luckily you were here."

"Why are you avoiding the Crownsguards in the first place, anyway?" I asked curiously. "Are you related to them somehow?"

She kept quiet and bit on her lips. "It doesn't matter. This was a bad idea after all. Do the Crownsguards pass by here every time?"

I nodded. "This is close to the Central so they are always around but they never come to the Kingsglaives' quarter."

"Oh wait, this is the Central? What are we doing here anyway? I thought you were taking me to the affinity test?"

"Yes but in order to test your affinity, you must first drink from this Magical Fountain that was blessed by His Royal Majesty. We are borrowing his power after all so in order to that, you need to get the magical properties of the water into your system. The power of the magic is stronger when it is closer to the vicinity of His Royal Majesty so it is located in the Central instead of the west wing even though we glaives are the only ones using it."

Her head tilted in confusion. She actually looked kind of cute. "Wait, then wouldn't everyone just come running to this fountain and attempt to drink it so they can inherit magic?"

I stepped aside and gestured her to move forward. "Go on and try to drink the water."

She moved towards it and before long, she ran into the barrier and fell down on her bottom. She got up and her eyes beamed brightly.

"Woah. There's a barrier here? Awesome!" She thrust her hand in front of her and carefully looked for the barrier. As soon as she touched the invisible wall in front of her, her hand flinched backward from the force. "So is this the security system for the fountain?"

"Of course not. First, there's this barrier. Second, the fountain is only turned on the day of an examination. Third, only a glaive can dispel this barrier. Fourth, this is the cathedral so infiltrating here would be near to impossible...," I trailed off and my eyes narrowed. "Speaking of that, how did you get into the cathedral?"

She laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, you know. I just jumped over the wall and landed there. Pure luck."

She was lying and I knew it but I think she will never reveal herself and it doesn't matter because she won't be my problem anymore.

"Fine, I won't force you to tell me the truth. But as promised, since I've helped you, you'll do as I say, right?"

She put her right hand to her left chest and raised her left hand.

"Right, it's a promise and I, Skye L-," she stopped and cleared her throat. "Skye Iravel will never break a promise. Never have, never will."

"Good," I said. "I want you to leave and never come back to the glaives. Got it?"

She looked disappointed but nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, it's a promise. You saved me and this has been a fruitful day for me. One of the best days in my life and I owed it all to you, ummm," her face frowned. "Your name?"

"Nyx Ulric," I replied.

"Nyx Ulric. Thank you and hey, sorry about all the lies I've made about you and attacking you in the first place. We got on a rocky start but Nyx Ulric, I like you," she said and extended her hand. "Let's forget about the bad things and if we do have a chance to meet again, we may be able to be friends instead. What do you say?"

I was hesitant because I was hoping to get rid of her for good. I mean, she apologized and thank me. She's really interesting but I didn't have the time for her. But then again, she did mention _if_ we meet again, right? So it's only _if_.

My hand met hers and I shook on it. "Sure," I said. "But honestly, I'm hoping that will never happen."

She laughed wholeheartedly. "Trust me. You'll like me and you might not even want to stay away from me later," she said and our hands parted. "Anyway, since we're already here, why don't you show me how do you dispel the barrier? I'm really curious to see how it works. I'll go as soon as I've seen it, please?"

I considered it for a while. No harm done, right? "Well, that's fair, I guess. Stand aside."

She did as I told and I raised my hand just directly a touch away from the barrier. I summoned my magic and instantly, the invisible barrier became solid. It shifted from red to orange to yellow to blue and then there was a crack on the wall and the whole wall shattered into tiny little dust.

"It's so pretty," she said gently as she looked up to the floating dust. I was enticed by her presence then. With herself being surrounded by the glittering materials, she was beautiful. I've seen people admiring the whole process before but I've never seen anyone that glows like her during the whole process.

The blue dust flew around and Skye hopped up to try and grabbed it. When her hand opened up, there was nothing on her palm.

Somewhere in my heart, I feel lighter.

"How did you break the barrier? All I saw you did was holding your hand up," she said.

"The barrier reacts to the magic we glaives used. I summoned for fire earlier that burns the linkage holding the formation of the barrier. That was why the barrier turned red on its first stage before turning blue. The barrier will be back up again once I summon blizzard as it shapes and reconnects the linkage of the barrier to make it solid. So the blue dust were actually the little blizzard pieces burned away by the fire. When you ran into the barrier earlier, you felt some shock, didn't you? That was the lighting emitting the forces to push outsiders away."

The remaining dust in the air disappeared into nothing. I walked towards the fountain and she followed me. As we stood by the tall fountain, she peered to see the clear water.

"Wait, where's my reflection?" she asked.

"There isn't one. Although it looks like the fountain is filled with water, these are not actually water. They are magical liquid that doesn't have the reflective quality. Of course, it's odourless and tasteless so people could easily ingest it."

"What happens when a person drinks the liquid?" she asked and sat down on the rock boulders that encircles the fountain.

"After a person drinks the water, a white little crown insignia will appear on the neck which proves that the person has the affinity for magic. That mark will stay with the consumer for half an hour. Once it disappears, it means that the magic has successfully integrated with the body's inner system. If the person is not compatible, it will turn red and disappear instantly. Then, he should be able to wield magic but of course, he will need some training on that to fully master the summon."

"Wow?" she asked as she leaned in closer. "How long has this been around here?"

I looked up at the head of the fountain as the liquid continued to disperse from it. "This fountain was built when the Kingsglaives was formed so it's only been around for a while. As you can see from its structure, it still looks very-," I was interrupted by the sound of water gushing.

I looked down and I was in shock because Skye was scooping the water in her hands and drinking it.

"Nooooooo!" I exclaimed and yanked her away from the fountain but I was too late as she swallows the water down her throat. Immediately, a white crown mark appeared on the centre of her neck, below her chin.

"Oops," she said innocently. "I was just really curious. Is there a mark on my neck?"

"Damn it, Skye. Why did you drink it? You're supposed to only observe and not drink it. You promised you would have just walked away from the glaives. You're already breaking it."

"Woah, woah. Hold on a minute. I didn't break anything. I still won't join the glaives and I will leave you alone. I was just too caught up in the moment and drank it. What's the big deal? Besides, there's a chance that the magic will not be in my system, right?"

She made some logical points but it's going to be bad. If she does have the affinity, it means that I actually let an outsider to drink from the magical fountain If she walks away from the glaives now, she's running away with the magical power and if she's up to no good, it will cause a lot of trouble. This is a serious offense and can lead to my death penalty.

"Oh no, oh no," I exclaimed. I was in panic now. "Please don't have magic, please don't have magic. You freaking idiot! You shouldn't have drunk it!"

The white mark wasn't turning red. This is really bad. "What's your problem?" she asked and backed away from me.

"Come with me now," I said and I made an attempt to grab her but she was too fast and sidestepped me. I fell onto the ground and she was already running towards the hallway.

"I'm going to keep my promise and leave the glaives alone so I'll be going now," she said and waved her hand excitedly. "See you next time, Nyx"

She gave me a wink and ran down the hallway. I sat up from the ground and my emotion was filled with horror.

"I am so dead."


	6. Chapter 6 (Skye)

Okay, I am out. I am so out. One is because I promised Nyx, second is because I was so close to being discovered by Glad and his father earlier. I can handle Glad but Mr Armiticia is bad news. He would sell me out to Father immediately and I would be grounded for life.

Well, at least I got something in return after all this. I reached for my neck, wondering if the mark is there. Maybe I should look for a mirror. I guess it is time to go home. I ran down the empty hallway connecting the Central and East Wing.

I am so excited to see the white crown. Imagine what I can do with the magic if I really have the affinity. I can entertain myself for two months with this. I can mess around with the maids and butlers. Burn the papers, freeze the food or maybe a thunder strike to give them a little scare. I can also train myself to be a master of magic. Wait, is mistress the proper term? Nah, master sounds better.

I have been losing to Glad in fights so maybe this can be a good opportunity to surprise him. He's always acts like he's better than me although he really is better but he doesn't have to show off. Now that I think about it, maybe it's not such a good idea. He would find out about my involvement with the Kingsglaives and then rat me out to Father.

Oh well, I'll just keep this to myself.

Darn, I've forgotten to ask Nyx how to summon magic and how the magic will fade from my system. Eh, I'll figure it out myself.

I continued down the hallway and right before I reach the entrance East Wing that was guarded by two Crownsguards, I took a left turn off the route towards the high walls splitting the East Wing and Central which was on the end of the

I approached the trail of used tracks leading to the high bushes. I gazed around and made sure that no one is in the vicinity. As soon as I was sure the coast is clear, I crept into the bushes on all fours. I followed the trail and moved as silently as possible. It was still daytime so I was able to maneuver into the area with no sweat as the light shines through the gaps between the bushes.

Since this trail was made by me for a short getaway, I made an effort to trim the branches and leaves from time to time so I can remain unscratched from the pointy edge of the branches. I don't mind getting the cuts but if anyone saw me with scratches all over my face and body, it may raise suspicions and trigger panic among the people around me especially Glad.

I was soon near the wall and my hand reached for it, searching for the uneven part on the surface. Once I found it, I gently nudged that part and a block was pushed forward. I continued pushing it and a hole about the size of the top of a barrel revealed more green bushes on the other side. No foot there. That's a good sign.

I found this hole a couple of years ago when I was looking for a way to climb up the wall but it was too obvious because there were too many people walking around in the East Wing. You can see the maids, butlers and Crownsguards running around all day. Breaking into the West Wing was so much easier. The only person that knew about this hole is Glad and Iggy.

I crawled past the hole and quickly pushed back the block to fill the hole. There was a sound of branches being stepped on just right next to me. I glanced over and a pair of black boots was just beside me.

This is not good. I swiftly turned away from the boots and was about to go away when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was pulled up and hauled on my legs. The hand was strong and the person spun me around.

It was Glad and he looked pissed.

"Hey! Gladdy! What's up?" I said happily, attempting to hide my anxiety.

"I knew it. Did you sneak out again?" he said as he looked disapprovingly at me. "I went to your place and couldn't find you in your room."

"Come on, I just needed fresh air. Being cooped out at home is literally going to drive me nuts."

"Didn't I say that you can only go out through this hole in case of emergency?" he folded his arm.

"I almost suffocated to death. It was an emergency," I retorted.

"Skye! You…,' he trailed off and squinted his eyes as he stared at me in confusion. "Hey, what's that on your neck?"

Oh, shit. Instantly, my hand cupped the center of my neck, attempting to cover the white crown.

"Mosquitoes' bites. It's so itchy," I pretended to scratch my neck. "I never knew that mosquitoes come out in the morning. I always thought they were like vampires, sleeping in the morning and coming out at night."

"Really? I thought I glimpsed a white sign. Why are you still covering your neck? Stop scratching or else you'll leave a mark."

Okay, that means it's a white crown and it's still fusing into my system. That's good. All I need to do now is to ditch Glad and run off to my room.

"Hey, I'm just going to head on back to put some ointment on my neck. Can't risk leaving a scar like you said. After all, I think my neck is one of my best features. Am I right?"

"You seemed a little eager to go back home. That's unusual," Glad said and his eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean what did I do?" I asked innocently and bat my eyelashes.

"Damn it, Skye! Where did you go?!" he exclaimed furiously.

"Outside. You know, the usual place. The market. The mall."

"Skye, you're lying. Where did you go?!"

"The city," I pouted. Here's the thing about Glad. He can be kind but he can be annoying too. Of course, he's still not as sharp as Ignis so it's easier to lie to him with some simple acting.

"I was hungry so I went into the city. Then guess what happened? I found literally nothing. So I'm hungry as hell. And do you know what happen when I'm hungry? I get grumpy and what happens when I'm grumpy? I am pissed and you know damn well what happens when I'm on that stage," I said and took a step forward. "I bite."

Glad flinched backward immediately and he actually looked worried. He should be. There was one time when he trained with me and he didn't let me off even though I kept telling him repeatedly that I was hungry. In the end, he taunted me to attack him and I lunged at him and before I know it, my teeth was sinking onto his shoulder.

I think I've tasted blood too but my mind has already blacked out so I couldn't remember much what happened afterward. The scar would have been visible if it weren't for the tattoo of the Armiticia that has covered it up.

Ever since, Glad never forced me anymore and as soon as I said I was hungry, Glad would immediately look for food. So now, it's the best reason and my key to run off before he catches me.

"Okay, okay. Let me walk you home, okay? If that's what you want," he held his hands up defensively.

"No, don't bother. I'm pissed at you. You best walk away while you still can."

"You're kidding, right?" his grin widen but faltered immediately once he noticed I wasn't smiling. Of course, I wasn't pissed at him. I just need him to stay away from me in case he yank my hand free from my neck.

I continue my act. "Don't wanna. You've never believe whatever I told you. You know how much I hate to stay at home and yet you have never given me the freedom."

These were the lines I would always fling at Glad's face whenever I want him to feel guilty. It wasn't fair but that's the thing about Glad. He's kind to me and my pettiness took advantage of it.

"Come on, Skye. I'm sorry. Look, I promised your father that I'll take care of you since he won't be around for a while. Then you just went missing. Of course, I'll freak out. Please? Come on."

His eyes were flashed with concern and sincerity. I couldn't say no. "Fine, let's go," I said and I spun on my feet, heading towards the walkway. I felt his presence behind me and before long, he was walking by my side down the hallway, passing by several other Crownsguards.

"You're still covering your neck? Is the wound that bad? Let me have a look," Glad reached out for my hand and I quickly distanced myself away.

"Hey, now. No touching. I'm still pissed at you," I said and pretended to scratch my neck so it wouldn't be too weird.

He let out an exasperated sigh and he withdrew his hand. "Skye, you know I never have the intention of confining you in the mansion. You need to realised about your status and how much your father cares about you. You have a reputation to hold."

I wasn't feeling good and humorous anymore. My eyes cast on the floor and so many things run in my mind. The past flashed into my mind.

I should have just die, shouldn't I? I wonder if _he_ did not find me that day, where would I be? Would _his_ life have been better? I wouldn't have been a burden for _him_ too.

I glanced up to the sky. I miss _them_. So many years have passed and yet, I'm still here and _they_ are up there. I fought the urge to cry as I was overwhelmed with longing feeling.

Glad realised my reaction and he grasped my shoulder and turned me towards him. "Hey, hey. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. Skye...," he trailed off, wary of what to say.

I looked down on my feet. I can't look into his eyes now because I would cry. Okay. This has gone too far. I'm making him feel guilty over nothing. I chew on my lips to keep my feelings down and calm. My feeling were bottled up. Good. I guess it's time then. One, two...

"Boo!" I said and jerked my head up at him suddenly. Glad stumbled backwards confusingly with a yelp. "Got you."

I giggled at his reaction. My heart was still tugging but it became lighter, knowing that I've managed to take Glad by surprise. His eyes narrowed and he knocked me on the head.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you to stop doing that?" I said as I rubbed the part he hit with my free hand.

"You deserved it. I was genuinely worried about you and look at you. You were playing me again, weren't you?"

I stuck out my tongue playfully at him and he frowned. My mood was lit up immediately.

"You should have seen the look on your face. It was so funny," I laughed uncontrollably and tears form in my eyes. "Boy, it is so easy to trick you."

"One of these days, you're going to regret it," he said grudgingly. "I hate you."

I've tricked him so many time that I couldn't count anymore. And the good part was, he never learns. Even though he would always say something like never trusting me again, he has never left my side. He was always there for me.

"Oh come on, Gladdy. You know you love me," I said teasingly and he ignored me. It was his turn this time to walk away and it was fast. but I ran after him. My arm circled around his strong arm and he slowed down to match my speed.

This guy is just too kind. "I'm sorry, Gladdy. You have to admit, I'm a good actress though."

He muttered softly in agreement and his eyes were focused on the front.

I wasn't completely acting but Glad wasn't sensitive enough to know when I'm being real or fake. He has never been able to read my emotion very well since I've known him. He's kind of oblivious sometimes especially when it comes to girls.

Despite all this, he's really important in my life. He's part of my life. I guess life wasn't so bad with Glad around me all the time. Then there's father, Iggy, Iris and Cyndi. Looks like I'll have to stay here a longer time than planned. I send the message quietly in my heart to _them_ up there.

"Hey, what should we eat tonight?" I asked nicely. Glad's hard face turned softer but he wouldn't look at me.

"What do you feel like eating?" he asked.

"Something warm," I said. Immediately, I felt a little hot.

"Ramen?"

"You know I prefer cold ramen, right?" Shiver ran down my spine.

Okay, what in the world is going on with the weather? I'm feeling hot and cold suddenly.

"How about we just eat at Ignis's?" he asked.

I ignore the sudden temperature change and focus my attention on our conversation.

"Ooooh! That's a good idea! Maybe he can cook my favourite egg dish."

"Well, it's settled then. I'll pick you up after work," he said and we were already in front of the mansion. I let out a heartfelt sigh.

"I'm back," I said moodily.

"Yes, you are," he glanced down at me and I released my hold on him. We faced each other and his eyes narrowed.

"Hey, your neck," he started and it hit me. Oh no, the white mark. I released my hold when I circled my arm on Glad's arm earlier. It was too late to cover my neck now. "doesn't have any marks. Are you sure you've been bitten?"

There was no mark? Wait, has it been 30 minutes already? Damn, I have no clue. So does this mean I have magic or not? Goddamn it.

"Well, good to see you're fine. Now, go home and be good," he said and smiled. "I'll see you later."

He turned around and walk down the hallway, left me standing in astonishment.

Wait, I felt the temperature change earlier. Maybe...

I want to eat eating warm food. I feel sweat forming on my forehead.

Cold food. I felt a sudden breeze in me.

What an electrifying day. A zap sparked my skin.

I leaped alone in front of my house excitedly.

I have magic.


	7. Chapter 7 (Nyx)

I ran from one quarter to the next quarter, searching for Skye but unfortunately, I couldn't find her. I came back to the Magical Fountain, hoping she would return on a whim. Damn, not here either.

I've lost her. How did she disappear so fast?

"Yo, Nyx!" A rough voice shouted from behind me and I turned around.

Libertus was waving at me with one hand and the other in his pocket. Crowe looked pissed for some kind of reason and Pelna, being his usual self, gave me a friendly smile.

The moment Libertus neared me, he smacked me on the back.

"Dang," he exclaimed with a wide grin."Who's that hot chick? How come you never told me about her? That's the reason why you left early yesterday?"

"It's not what you think, Libertus,"I replied with a sigh. "She's actually...,"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Crowe cut in while flaunting her hand. "She's one of your

conquers. Ooooh, how nice it is?"

"Like I said, it's not what it seems like."

"Men are all the same," she pouted. "And here, I thought you'll be different. Am I disappointed in you, Nyx."

What's her problem? I wasn't in the mood to get into a batter with her and I was sure that the next word I have for her would just end up in an argument.

"Anyway, Nyx," Pelna cut in in a carefree manner, obviously trying to calm the whole situation. "Where's that girl? You should introduce that friend of yours to us."

Ikept quiet and unconsciously, my hand reached for my neck. I trust them with my life but I wasn't sure if telling them now would be a good idea especially with Crowe fuming with anger.

But then again, I do need to come clean or else it will just eat me alive. "Actually...,"

"Nyx, hey!"

Oh no, it was Drautos's voice. There he was, striding towards me with a bunch of the Kingsglaives' candidates. This is so bad. I still haven't found Skye. What should I do?

"Ulric, where's Iravel? It's time to bring these new appointed glaives to meet His Majesty."

"She, uh," I stammered. Sweat ran down my face and my hand tightened at the back of my neck. Whatever reason will work best now. I just need to get myself out of the situation and decide what to do next. "She's feeling unwell, so I've sent her home."

"Unwell?" Drautos's left eye arched suspiciously. "Was it from the side effect of the liquids from the fountain?"

"Uh, well not really. She just mentioned that she felt vomiting and her head felt dizzy. I might have hit her a little too hard."

Drautos nodded. "You really don't go easy on anyone including girls, huh? Anyway, she might also have a concussion. She was flung off her feet by the huge explosion earlier. She's going to need more training, for sure to keep up with the glaives."

"Sir, it seems like you're dead set on having that girl to be in the glaives," Libertus said with a wide grin. "I'm assuming she passed the test?"

"Yeah, she's one of the few that has raw potential and moreover, a girl! Altius, maybe you can get along with her."

Crowe rolled her eyes but Drautos didn't noticed it as he focused on me. "So, how is it? Did she have the magical properties?"

There it was. The million Gil question. I hesitated and looked around, hoping that idiot will pop up right now and talk to Drautos herself. But then again, if they found out that she's an infiltrator, it could be even worse for me and her.

Okay, I'll let whatever comes into mind and just say it. "She-,"

"Drautos, sir!" Luche's voice rang down the hall. Okay, for the first time ever, was I glad to see him. He ran up to us. "The king is about to depart out of the city and request your presence immediately. He wants you to go with him."

"What? Why?" Drautos frowned.

"I'm not sure, Sir. It might have something to do with the Crownsguards. I saw one of them came out of the audience chamber. After that, His Majesty ask for you."

"Guess we have no choice then. We'll just let him meet these glaives next time," Drautos turned to the new glaives. "I won't be here with you for the next few days so Lazarus and Ulric will be in charge of you guys."

"Wait, what?" I asked astonishingly. "Why me?"

"You're one of the best and I want you to learn how to guide. Besides, Iravel will feel more comfortable with a friend around. Now, both of you, teach them all the basics especially controlling magic and warp. Okay?"

"But-"

"No buts, Ulric. This is an order, not a request. Get it done. You can split the work however you want."

"Yes, Sir!" Luche saluted and I rolled my eyes. Was it necessary? What an ass kisser.

"Ulric?"

Reluctantly I nodded my head. "Yes, Sir."

"Good, now I have to go. See you guys soon," Drautos then ran down the hall towards the main quarter.

Luche then turned to the new appointed glaives. "Be here tomorrow at 0700. If anyone of you are late, you'll be punished."

Without waiting so much for an answer, he walked away while purposely bumping into the kid with spectacles that was with Skye earlier and then, he just left with all of us staring at his back. I shot a grim look at the new glaives when they turned towards me and then, they scurried away.

"You should be nicer to the juniors. Who knows? One of them could be your sidekick," Libertus said as he slung his arm around my shoulder. "Don't you want them to follow you around like a puppy?"

"Come on, I don't have time for this. I'm not even interested in guiding these peiple. How the hell did that nerd kid get into the glaives in the first place?"

"He must be good or else Drautos wouldn't have let him join the team," Pelna said as he strode towards us. "Well, at least that's something you can worry about tomorrow."

I groaned in annoyance. This is a complete waste of my time. I'm not here to guide people. I'm here for... I shook the thoughts out of my head and control my spiraling emotion.

"Hey, what are you worried about? Do you think Luche will even give you the chance to lead those glaives? Of course he would want to hog all of the glory for himself," Libertus said. "Besides, look at the bright side. At least we can slack around for the next few days without Drautos around."

That's it! Drautos will be gone for a while. This gives me some time to find Skye and sort things out before it blows up in my face so that's good. If that's the case, I'll just keep her away from my friends first. Maybe she doesn't have magic, then she's no longer any of my business. No one needs to know about her. That's a good plan.

"What's a good plan?" Crowe asked suddenly and I realized I was might have let those words slipped out of my mouth. Her eyes gazed at me suspiciously.

"Nothing, just agreeing with Libertus," I replied quickly. "Hey, let's go for lunch. It's about time, right?"

"Yeah, I'm starving!" Libertus exclaimed and took the lead.

"I wonder if they have mashed potatoes today?" Pelna said as he trailed behind Libertus.

"Hey, Crowe. Why do I feel like you're pissed at me?" I asked as she stormed past me and I quickly followed her. "What did I do?"

She looked away and I got a feeling that she's pouting. I elbowed her playfully and she was swayed aside. "Come on, what did I do. Tell me. If you don't tell me, I wouldn't know."

"Come on, almighty Altius. If you don't tell the idiot Ulric what he did wrong, he wouldn't know," I urged her and gave her another nudge. This time, I caught a small grin on her face and she quickly hid it away.

Just a little more. This time I poke her at the side of her body, the part she always felt ticklish. She squealed like a kid and began laughing. "Stop that, Nyx! Hey!"

I guess a stone cold girl like Crowe would melt when you pushed the right buttons. I continued and she laughed harder.

"Tell me or else,"I said as my finger aimed at the same spot again.

Then she smacked my hand away. Libertus and Pelna were at the front away from us and grinning. She tried to repressed her smile but obviously failed.

"So, ready to tell me why you were so pissed?" I asked.

Crowe stood upright and her eyes narrowed. "Nothing," her face turned to the other side and continued walking.

"If you're not going to tell me, I'll do it again."

She immediately backed away from me cautiously and her hands wrapped herself.

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you. Just stop whatever you're doing here," she replied and stared into my eyes intensely. "Who's that girl?"

Ah. Jealously. I could feel it from her gaze and tone. It's not that she has romantic feelings for me but rather, she can be kind of possessive at times. She's always worried that the guys and I might leave her for someone better. She has a bad temper so other girls can't really handle her well. In a way, she has insecurity issue which is really weird because Crowe is confident and never lets anything get to her easily. I guess she doesn't want to lose her bros.

As I look at my friends, I know I can trust them wholeheartedly but telling them about Skye could complicate things. It might become larger than it is now and can't be resolved silently. Moreover, it will piss Crowe off if she found out that she was attacked by an unknown person and I stuck my neck out for her. I guess I have to lie after all.

"Just a girl I met a few days ago in a bar," I lied. "We drank, laughed, joked and became friends."

"Just exactly who is she? You've never mentioned about her before and suddenly she appeared during our training. Did you, well, you know, 'steal her stuff'?" Crowe emphasised heavily on the last part.

"We've just met so I don't really know much about her. And no, I didn't hook up with her if that's what you're trying to ask.

"What do you think about her? Libertus kept saying she's hot as hell. I mean like, do you like her?" she pursed her lips.

I shook my head as I visualised that troublemaker. "God, I would never like that brat. She's a good fighter, I'll give her that. Looks, meh. But she's a brat. An annoying and spoiled brat. God."

Now I'm fuming with anger just thinking of her. But Crowe finally smile genuinely and I took that as a sign that she was going to be okay. "You know, I'm going to kick her ass the next time I see her. She sneak attacked me and humiliated me in front of everyone. You think I can take her on?"

"Why not?" I said but a doubt suddenly rose in my head. Crowe is one of the best fighter in the glaives but after exchanging blows with Skye, she is actually more skillful but I decided to keep that information to myself. No point of making Crowe upset over nothing. Besides, if I can stop Skye from joining the Kingsglaive, we will never have to know which one of them is better.

"Looks like the lovebirds are together again," Libertus said as he approached us with Pelna beside him. "Everything's good now? Ah, finally, the world has restore its balance. And here, I was hoping we get to experience a lovers' dispute, you know, to get some experience before our actual war with Niflheim."

"Shut up, Libertus," Crowe punched him on the shoulder. "If that actually happens, at least, Nyx has a girlfriend and you don't."

"What did you just say?" Libertus asked with fake anger in his tone. "Well, at least I won't be stuck with a ice-cold woman like you."

And with that, they began their bicker again. I rolled my eyes while Pelna tried to calm the whole situation again but obviously failing.

I couldn't help but smile at them. They are all I have left in this place. It'll be a while before I can return home to Galahd. So this bunch of jokers are my family here. I must not jeapordize what I have with them. So I need to deal with that idiot somehow.

Now then, mission to find the idiot begins.


	8. Chapter 8 (Skye)

I was in the living room, trying to set fire to the white paper on the table. I've been experimenting with magic since noon but nothing has happened so far. I wonder if the Kingsglaive has a manual about magic that I could borrow.

"How's your day, Skye?" Iggy asked suddenly from the kitchen. I quickly got on my feet, worried he might noticed anything suspicious about me.

"Just the usual dull day."

"Really? Gladio told me about your little adventure at the city today."

"Yep, didn't manage to find anything," I lied without hesitation. I was already so used to lying to both Gladdy and Iggy that it's like my second nature now. "I was too worried about Gladdy catching me to even enjoy my day out."

Iggy chuckled cheerfully. "Gladio, Skye's old enough to take care of herself. You need to give her some space once in a while."

Glad was at the kitchen table, plopping his head up with his hand. He glanced lazily at Iggy. "You really think that idiot can handle herself without getting into trouble?"

"Hey, I'm not an idiot. You really need to learn to respect someone elder than you, Gladdy," I retorted.

"Problem is your mind isn't as mature as your age."

"At least I use my brain once in a while. Unlike a certain someone that just rely on brute force."

He immediately got up from his chair and came thundering towards me. He knocked me on my head but I wasn't letting him off this easy. I grab his hand and bit it. He yelled and shook me off. The bite wasn't deep but I bet it hurt.

"Skye! What the hell are you doing?" Glad exclaimed as he rubbed the spot I bit.

"I'm learning how to retaliate. No way am I going to let you disrespect me all the time," I said. "That should teach you a lesson."

Swiftly, Glad gave me another knock on the head and quickly stepped away before I could reach him.

"Hey!" I shouted as I touch my head. "That actually hurts!"

"If you think I'll treat you differently just because of age, then you're definitely wrong," he replied. Iggy was laughing and flipped the scrambled egg into the air.

"Alright, enough squabbling," Iggy said as he placed the golden egg onto a plate. "Dinner is served."

I made a pouting face at Glad and slid into the chair just opposite of them. My mood was immediately lit up as soon as I saw the well made dishes right in front of me. It was all Iggy's signature dishes — Scrambled eggs, veggie medley, steak and leek soup. The smell filled the room, taking over the colognes that both of them were wearing.

I took my first bite of eggs and it tasted like heaven with its softness and fluffiness. Iggy is truly the best cook I've known, even better than the Royal chef. Iggy's dishes may not be as extravagant or fancy like my Royal chef's but the taste is superior. Even Noctis rather eat what Iggy has to offer. This proves Royal doesn't mean everything.

Glad then passed over a bowl of soup to me. "Here, for knocking you on your head."

It's his way of apologising so I accepted it while sticking my tongue at him and then smiled. I can never stay mad at him and so does he too.

We exchanged small talks but soon, it was all work again between them. As they were immersed in their chat about Crownsguards, I became preoccupied with just eating and relieving about today. Kingsglaives, magic and Nyx. I wonder what's that guy doing now.

Suddenly, Glad's phone rang beside me jolted me upwards. The song, 'Shield of the King' sounded through the room. Glad immediately reached out to his phone without even looking at who the caller was.

"Yeah?" he said over the phone. Then he stood up and walked into the living room. It was then all just chatters. Then it was Iggy's phone vibrating across the table. He checked his message and his eyes widen.

By the time he looked up, Gladio was already entering the kitchen. His eyes met Iggy's. "They contacted you too?"

Iggy nodded his head. "It seems we have to leave soon."

"What's going on?" I asked curiously.

Glad glanced over at me. "His Majesty is leaving Insomnia on an official business. He's bringing Noct along so both Iggy and I will have to accompany them on the trip."

My heart sank as soon as those words left his mouth. Everyone's away so I'm stuck here alone. Again.

Glad immediately caught on to my facial expression and patted my back. "Hey, it's just for a few days. I'll call you everyday to check on you so don't worry."

"Can I go with you guys too?" I asked, not keeping my hopes up because I was sure of the answer but I needed to hear it.

Glad's voice was strained when he replied. "Skye, you know we can't. I'm really sorry but you're gonna have to stay here."

I bit my lips. Yep, a long shot after all. Worried that they would be concern about me, I forced a smile and cheered. "Hooray! No nagging for days! I get to chill without you guys hovering over me every minute."

Both of them chuckled cheerfully. "Alright, you've earned your freedom from us for a while. Just for a while."

Yep, they're going to be gone for some time. It's not the first time that they are away so I was kind of used to it but still hated it. I won't have anything to do in the next few days except just hanging out in the mansion, doing my normal routine and maybe sneaking out.

Suddenly, an idea sprang in my head and I grinned. I do have other things I can do. I have magic after all. I can just sneak out and go to a secluded place to practice the skill. I didn't want to risk burning the mansion to crisp if let's say I was able to conjure fire out of thin air. Or... Maybe I won't have to sneak out. I'll just have to make Glad to give me the permission to leave the mansion without restriction then he could arrange with my household.

I was ready to act immediately in that moment. I began sobbing and looked on the marble floor and my voice became hoarse. "It's not okay, Gladdy. I lied. I'm so sorry."

"Wait, what?" he knelt down in front of me to have a closer look at my face but I quickly covered my eyes with my arm. Couldn't let him catch me without tears if I want to pull this off. "Come on, it's just for a while."

"I wouldn't have anything left to do when you guys are away. I'm going to be stuck in the mansion for the next few days without able to do anything. I'm going to be a lifeless body, laying on my bed, dreading about my boring life."

Glad placed his hand on my left thigh, attempting to console me. "Hey, this is a mission. We have no other choice. If we have a say in this, I would remain here with you but I'm afraid I can't."

My fake sobbing intensified and Glad tighten his hold on my thigh. "Skye, don't be like that. I'll buy some souvenir for you and when I come back, I'll apply day offs and spend some time with you. How about that?"

I shook my head in disagreement. Glad pressed on. "Then tell me. What do you want? How can we make you feel better?"

"Nothing. Just go. You're not going to agree what I'm about to ask anyway."

"As long as you're not requesting me to bring you along, anything's fine."

"Really?"

"Of course. Have I ever lied to you?"

I sat up and faked a sniffle.

"While you're gone, I want to have the freedom to go out and have fun in the city whenever I want."

"Just that? That's easily arranged. I can just get another Crownsguard to accompany-"

"No," I cut him off. "No Crownsguard. Just myself, wandering and exploring the city everyday until you come back."

Without even a pause, Glad replied, "No. It's out of the question."

I dropped the act and frowned at him. "You just said anything's fine as long as you don't bring me along. You're going back on your words."

"Say what you want but I am not exposing you to dangers like that."

"Is it too much to ask for just a little getaway into the city? Just the city." I whined.

He avoided my stare and his fist clenched. I knew I was being unfair on him but if i were to be stuck in that place any longer, I might go crazy. I reached for his hand and squeezed gently.

"Glad," It's been a while since I've called him this way. I normally use it when I'm serious and he actually jolted upwards upon hearing it. "I know I'm making this hard on you but please? I'll promise I'll be good. I'll be extra careful and won't do anything stupid. I won't draw attention to myself and fit in like a regular citizen. I've ran out so many times and yet, I'm still standing here, alive."

I emphasised on the last word strongly.

Instead of acknowledging what I've said, Glad got up strolled back into the living room. Iggy's mouth remain clasped and trailed behind Glad. As I was left alone, I can only stare at the food and couldn't utter a single word. Whispers between them floated into the room.

I knew it wasn't Glad's fault because he was just trying to protect me. However, it's still frustrating to be bound like that. I've been restrained to this life ever since I've stepped into Insomnia. I missed the days when I ran around in the field, talking to the random passerby and the freedom to do what I want.

I fought the urge to slam my fist onto the table and throw a tantrum because I knew damn well it isn't going to work well with Glad. Right then, Glad walked back into the room with Iggy and sat across me.

"These few years you've been trying very hard and I know that. You might still sneak out once in a while but you've always been careful not to hurt yourself," Glad said and rummaged my hair. "Iggy is right. You're old enough to know what's right and wrong. You shouldn't be tiee like this your whole life. So I'm breaking the protocol. I'll talk to the people at your mansion. Alright?"

My eyes widen in surprise. "Really?" I turned to Iggy and he had a wide smile on. As he caught my eyes, he gave me a wink.

Glad nodded. "Yeah, you've earned it. You deserve a break. But let's keep this between us because if we involve your father, he might not agree to this. And heck, he might kill me. Got it?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed and hugged him tightly. I clung on to the scent of his cologne. I'm going to miss his smell but not as much as enjoying this taste of freedom. "Thank you so much! Gosh, you're the best, Glad! I love you."

"Alright, no need to get all mushy," he said but didn't push me away. Instead, he returned my hug in a tight embrace. "Just make sure you're in one piece by the time we come home. I don't want to see any changes on you at all."

"I will, Glad. I will," I replied earnestly.

I intend to do as he asked but here's the thing about life. It's full of surprises.


End file.
